Making Inferences

Read the short story extract then answer the questions in full sentences.

When things aren’t explained literally in a text, you can use clues to reach a logical conclusion. This is called inference.

Cross Hot BunnyAn Original Story

Cross Hot bunny was about to deliver invitations for the annual Easter Bunny Parade. He had been given ten envelopes to post to the families living at Easter Woods. Mother bunny had been very exact about whom the envelopes should be delivered to and she put them in a special order for her youngest but most energetic and distracted bunny to give to their neighbours.

“Please give the invitations to our friends Cross Hot,” she instructed the little bunny. “It’s important that everyone gets the correct letter because I want them all to bring their favourite food to the Easter Bunny Parade and you must promise to try a little of everything.”

Cross Hot threw the invitations into his bunny pack and hopped out of the door. His heart sank at the thought of having to eat worms, fish and oak leaves, not to mention flies and sugar mice! But Cross Hot came up with a plan. If he changed all of the invitations to ask the animals to bring carrot cookies instead of their favourite food he would be in for a Bunny Parade feast!

Letters changed, Cross Hot hopped gleefully into the woods. “How can I do this job as fast as possible so that I can get back for cookies?” he said to himself as he raced to hare’s form1. Without looking, he put his paw into his pack and pulled out the first envelope he could find. Tossing it into the form he raced off down the woodland path.

Hare scratched his head as he opened the invitation.

“Hmmm, mother bunny has asked me to bring carrot cookies to the Easter Bunny Parade and she knows that I don’t eat cookies. I’ll bring lettuce instead.”

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Making Inferences - Cross Hot Bunny

Glossary

1. Form: a shallow nest or scrape where hares rest.

2. Sett: underground tunnels and chambers that form the homes of badgers.

3. Holt: the name for otter dens.

Cross Hot arrived at badger’s sett2 next. He scrabbled in his bag and pulled out another envelope. Quickly slipping it down the entrance tunnel, he hopped off to the next house.

Badger stroked his whiskers as he opened the invitation.

“Hmmm, mother bunny has asked me to bring carrot cookies to the Easter Bunny Parade and she knows that I don’t eat cookies. I’ll bring slugs instead.”

At otter’s holt3, Cross Hot was even more careless and tipped all of the invitations out onto the grass before picking one up and pushing it roughly through the door before scampering away to the next house.

Otter scratched her ear with her back foot, puzzled.

“Hmmm, mother bunny has asked me to bring carrot cookies to the Bunny Parade and she knows that I don’t eat cookies. I’ll bring fish instead.”

Otter

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Cross Hot Bunny - Questions1. Why does mother bunny have to be ‘very exact’ in her instructions to Cross Hot bunny?

2. How did Cross Hot feel about the delivery job mother bunny asked him to do? Underline

one answer.

3. How careful was Cross Hot with the invitations? Find evidence in the text to support your

opinion.

4. How did the animals feel about bringing food they did not eat?

5. Why should the animals go to the party?

Sad

Making Inferences

Cross Hot Happy

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Cross Hot Bunny -AnswersThese are the most probable answers, using evidence from the text. Other answers are acceptable if they are consistent with the text and are plausible.

1. Why does mother bunny have to be ‘very exact’ in her instructions to Cross Hot bunny? Cross Hot is a ‘distracted’ bunny so mother has to be very clear about what she wants him to do or he may not remember the instructions.

2. How did Cross Hot feel about the delivery job mother bunny asked him to do? Underline one answer.

3. How careful was Cross Hot with the invitations? Find evidence in the text to support your opinion. Cross Hot wasn’t very careful with the letters because it says he ‘threw the invitations into his bunny pack’ and ‘Without looking, he put his paw into his pack’.

4. How did the animals feel about bringing food they did not eat? The animals may feel that mother bunny hasn’t thought very carefully about them if they have been asked to bring food that they do not eat to the parade.

5. Why should the animals go to the party? I think the animals should go to the party because it is a chance for them all to get together as friends and enjoy the Parade and eat together. Even if they don’t eat the food they have been asked to bring, they are willing to bring something different and take part in the day.

Or

I don’t think the animals should go to the party if they think mother bunny hasn’t been thoughtful in her suggestions for food for them to bring. They may feel a bit hurt or insulted if they feel that mother bunny doesn’t care.

Making Inferences

SadCross Hot Happy

Making Inferences

Read the short story extract then answer the questions in full sentences.

When things aren’t explained literally in a text, you can use clues to reach a logical conclusion. This is called inference.

Cross Hot BunnyAn Original Story

Cross Hot was very proud of himself as he delivered the fourth invitation to mole’s hill. He scrabbled and scraped away at the top of the mound until he had opened up a little hole to pop the letter through. His mind was on carrot cookies and he was keen to satisfy his rumbling tummy.

“Hmmm, mother bunny has asked me to bring carrot cookies to the Easter Bunny Parade and she knows that I don’t eat cookies. I’ll bring worms instead.”

Bunny hopped away over the brow of the hill to the far side of Easter Wood. He was looking for fox’s lair and was just a little bit nervous about the next delivery. Hopping from paw to paw and

sniffing the air as he went, Cross Hot almost fell into the lair before he saw the well-hidden entrance. Delivering the invitation as quietly as he could, he padded away with a light

paw and a quick heart.

“Hmmm, mother bunny has asked me to bring carrot cookies to the Easter Bunny Parade and she knows that I don’t eat cookies. I’ll bring chicken instead.”

The next delivery was to be a challenge for Cross Hot. He didn’t like heights and he knew that owl’s roost was very high up in the branches of the hollow tree.

As luck would have it, owl was passing on his way home for tea with – or of – mouse!

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Mouse

Making Inferences - Cross Hot Bunny

“Oh good!” thought Cross Hot, “I can deliver two invitations at the same time.” And he popped two letters into owl’s beak, as he passed by. “Enjoy your tea,” the little bunny called over his shoulder as he hopped across the woodland path.

“Hmmm, mother bunny has asked me to bring carrot cookies to the Easter Bunny Parade and she knows that I don’t eat cookies. I’ll bring seeds instead,” squeaked mouse.

“Hmmm, mother bunny has asked me to bring carrot cookies to the Easter Bunny Parade and she knows that I don’t eat cookies. I’ll bring spiced mice instead,” hooted owl.

Mouse gulped.

Owl

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Cross Hot Bunny - Questions1. Why was Cross Hot proud of how quickly he was delivering the invitations?

2. How could Cross Hot ‘satisfy his rumbling tummy?’

3. Why did Cross Hot leave fox’s lair ‘with a light paw and a quick heart.’?

4. What could the phrase ‘owl was passing on his way home for tea with – or of – mouse!’

mean?

5. Why did mouse gulp at the end of the story?

Making Inferences

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Cross Hot Bunny -AnswersThese are the most probable answers, using evidence from the text. Other answers are acceptable if they are consistent with the text and are plausible.

1. Why was Cross Hot proud of how quickly he was delivering the invitations? Cross Hot was more interested in delivering the invitations quickly and getting back for his carrot cookies than he was in doing a careful job, so he was very satisfied with his speed.

2. How could Cross Hot ‘satisfy his rumbling tummy?’ Cross Hot could stop for a nibble of grass or some hay if he was hungry. That would ‘satisfy’ his hunger.

3. Why did Cross Hot leave fox’s lair ‘with a light paw and a quick heart.’? Fox may have decided to eat Cross Hot bunny, so he had to be quiet (tiptoeing with a ‘light paw’) and quick when delivering the invitation so as not to attract attention to himself. His heart may be beating quickly because he was a bit anxious, or because he was out of breath.

4. What could the phrase ‘owl was passing on his way home for tea with – or of – mouse!’ mean? Owl and mouse could have been friends and about to enjoy afternoon tea together. Or, owl may have been planning to have mouse to eat for his tea.

5. Why did mouse gulp at the end of the story? After owl had said he was going to bring ‘spiced mouse’ to the Parade, mouse knew that he wouldn’t be able to attend the parade, because owl was going to eat him.

Making Inferences

Making Inferences

Read the short story extract then answer the questions in full sentences.

When things aren’t explained literally in a text, you can use clues to reach a logical conclusion. This is called inference.

Cross Hot BunnyAn Original Story

By now, Cross Hot bunny was ravenous. His tummy was calling to him to stop and go home for a carrot cookie but experience had taught him otherwise. He had the last three invitations to deliver and they had to be done before he ran out of energy to hop.

At the dray, the letter slipped quickly into sleepy squirrel’s paws, and as Cross Hot was leaving he could hear him muttering.

“Hmmm, mother bunny has asked me to bring carrot cookies to the Easter Bunny Parade and she knows that I don’t eat cookies. I’ll bring nuts instead” But the bunny was too far away to hear the last thing that squirrel said.

Cross Hot was on his way to find the deer when he bounded into spider’s sticky web. Thankful for his good luck, he stuck the invitation to the sticky strands and

hopped into the distance.

“Hmmm, mother bunny has asked me to bring carrot cookies to the Easter Bunny Parade and she knows that I don’t eat

cookies. I’ll bring crispy flies instead”

The last letter was jumping around inside Cross Hot’s back pack when he skidded to a

halt beside deer. Thrusting the final invitation between deer’s hooves he sped off home, hopping as fast as his paws would carry him.

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Making Inferences - Cross Hot Bunny

“Hmmm, mother bunny has asked me to bring carrot cookies to the Easter Bunny Parade and she knows that I don’t eat cookies. I’ll bring fresh oak leaves instead.”

Mother bunny was pleased with Cross Hot when he returned home so quickly and tipped up the cookie jar. “Did you deliver all of the invitations to the right animals?” she asked her youngest kit.

“Oh yes, mother,” replied the mischievous bunny, “and I promise to try everything our friends bring to the Easter Bunny Parade!”

Deer

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Cross Hot Bunny - Questions1. Do you think Cross Hot will get a cookie if he goes home without delivering all of the

invitations? Find and copy parts of the text to support your opinion.

2. What might have happened if Cross Hot had heard what the squirrel said?

3. Why was getting caught in spider’s web good luck for Cross Hot?

4. Why was the last letter ‘jumping’ around in Cross Hot’s bag?

5. Is Cross Hot going to enjoy the food for the Easter Bunny Parade? Why?

Making Inferences

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Cross Hot Bunny -AnswersThese are the most probable answers, using evidence from the text. Other answers are acceptable if they are consistent with the text and are plausible.

1. Do you think Cross Hot will get a cookie if he goes home without delivering all of the invitations? Find and copy parts of the text to support your opinion. I don’t think mother bunny will give Cross Hot a cookie if he goes home without delivering all of the invitations because it says ‘experience had taught him otherwise’, meaning he had tried to do something like that before and hadn’t succeeded.

2. What might have happened if Cross Hot had heard what the squirrel said? If Cross Hot had heard what squirrel had said, he may have realised that the animals were going to bring food that they enjoyed eating rather than carrot cookies.

3. Why was getting caught in spider’s web good luck for Cross Hot? Because Cross Hot was looking for spider, running into his web saved him from searching. Even though being caught in a spider’s web isn’t a nice thing to happen it wouldn’t have harmed the bunny and it meant he could deliver another invitation quickly.

4. Why was the last letter ‘jumping’ around in Cross Hot’s bag? Although a letter can’t jump, if there was only one letter in the bag it would have had plenty of room to move about as though it was ‘jumping’ about inside.

5. Is Cross Hot going to enjoy the food for the Easter Bunny Parade? Why? If Cross Hot was expecting the guests to bring carrot cookies then he will be disappointed with nuts, crispy flies and fresh oak leaves. If he tries them though, he may find he likes them.

Making Inferences